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Winding Up the Week #77

An end of week recap

It has been a good week. When we saw my partner’s specialist on Wednesday he was smiling. Following surgery, we were anxiously awaiting news regarding D’s cancer, and this is what he said: “There’s been a Total Pathological Response to the chemotherapy. In other words, it’s all gone.”

She will continue to receive Herceptin injections for some time and must undergo an intense course of radiotherapy but there couldn’t have been a better outcome following her treatment. In time, her hair will regrow, her taste will return, and she will become physically stronger. Thanks to our magnificent NHS she’s been given a second chance. We don’t intend to squander a single moment.

Thank you so much everyone for your kind and encouraging words over the last few months. Your support has helped enormously

As ever, this is a weekly post in which I summarize books read, reviewed and currently on my TBR shelf. In addition to a variety of literary titbits, I look ahead to forthcoming features, see what’s on the nightstand and keep readers abreast of various book-related happenings.

August is but 19 days away, which means the enthusiastically anticipated reading jolly, Women in Translation Month (#WITMonth) isn’t far away. Now in its sixth year, participants are encouraged to read at least one book in translation by a female writer and hopefully share your thoughts with others (in your blog or on social media). The event is hosted by Meytal Radzinski at Biblibio, who is currently working on several “new and cool projects” for 2019. She invites you to please let her know if you’re interested in taking part in “any sort of readalong.” You may also like to check out the WITMonth Database, which covers titles published from September 2018 to August 2019. For further details please see the official FAQ page.

* Lit Crit Blogflash *

I’m going to share with you six of my favourite literary posts from around the blogosphere. There are so many talented writers posting high-quality book features and reviews, it’s difficult to limit the list to only these few – all of them published over the last week or two:

‘The Bookshop That Floated Away’ by Sarah Henshaw – Although Henshaw’s “flair for the (melo)dramatic” can be “rather tiresome”, Kirsty of The Literary Sisters discovered some “nice moments” in this 2014 memoir recalling the voyage of a floating book shop.

Kintu – Over at What I Think About When I Think About Reading, Jan Hicks found Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s 2014 debut novel revealed much about the “complexities of Ugandan history” and “the traditions of African culture”. She declared it “a masterpiece”.

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer – Clare at A Little Blog of Books found the “scathing tone” of Wolitzer’s 2003 novel “perfectly pitched”. The “satire of the literary world in the late 20th century is excellent”, she asserts.

The Street of Crocodiles – “Seventy‐five years ago, Bruno Schulz, a 50‐year‐old teacher in command of one of the most original literary imaginations of modern Europe […] was gunned down by a Jew‐hunting contingent of SS men”, writes Ewa K. in a fascinating post at Lydwerk – a blog of writing, culture and ideas.

* Irresistible Items *

Umpteen fascinating articles appeared on my bookdar last week. I generally make a point of tweeting my favourite finds (or adding them to my Facebook group page), but in case you missed anything, here are a handful of interesting snippets:

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The Guardian: Why should authors read your bad reviews? – Ever since “Angie Thomas requested that she not be tagged into negative reviews of her books on social media, she has received a torrent of abuse”, says Alison Flood.

Wales Arts Review: The Ancient Art of Storytelling at Felin Uchaf – “James H.F. Lloyd explores the magical world and unexpected delights of traditional storytelling at the Felin Uchaf retreat in North Wales, and talks to Daniel Morden, one of Wales’s most renowned exponents of the art form.”

Sydney Review of Books: The Ancient Library and a Self-Governing Literature – “I guess it is difficult for any writer who is trying to create stories of an increasingly complicated world, and which for Aboriginal writers, will have many extra layers of complexities”, says Alexis Wright.

If there is something you would particularly like to see on Winding Up the Week or if you have any suggestions, questions or comments for Book Jotter in general, please drop me a line or comment below. I would be delighted to hear from you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I wish you a week bountiful in books and rich in reading.

NB In this feature, ‘winding up’ refers to the act of concluding something and should not be confused with the British expression: ‘wind-up’ – an age-old pastime of ‘winding-up’ friends and family by teasing or playing pranks on them. If you would like to know more about this expression, there’s an excellent description on Urban Dictionary.

Medical news doesn’t get any better than that. It’s been a hugely stressful time for the two of you and though there is more treatment to come at least you know everything until now has worked. And that the next stage will be easier on the body….

When a consultant smiles… Fantastic news, Paula, may the future remain bright and positive for you both. All that and some more tempting links — good news that indie bookshops are starting to hold their own.

He only published a limited amount of material before his tragic and cruel death. There’s a recent edition of his collected stories which basically has everything… A very unusual and individual writer.

Hooray for your good news! I hope your partner’s recovery continues to go well. You must both be feeling relieved.

I’m looking forward to WITMonth. I’ve nominated my ten books towards the 100 Best Women in Translation list and have been enjoying her daily countdown of translated women on Twitter.

I read the Guardian article on tagging authors into bad reviews. I don’t know why anyone would do that. I’m even reluctant to tag authors in when I write a positive review! It’s one thing to be reviewed in the press, and I know from experience that some authors search for themselves or their book titles (I’ve had authors thank me for reviews when I haven’t tagged them on social media), but it must be tiring having your social media notifications pinging every time a blogger tags you in. Maybe that’s the introvert in me projecting, though.

And thank you for linking to my review of Kintu. I’ve had a lovely spike in my stats today.

I hate to see the way our NHS is being diminished and dismantled because it’s vitally important to so many people. The sheer number of folk with cancer alone is shocking – yet every one is treated with kindness and dignity. I can’t praise the staff highly enough at the Shooting Star in Wrexham Maelor Hospital and the various other departments involved in the treatment of my partner. If it were down to me I would at least double their wages. They’re an incredible bunch.

I was “trying” not to check blogs today just to get a little breather from the ‘ole iPad, but I was drawn to this post tonight, Paula, and wow. I am loving this news. So happy for you and your partner. Cheers to turning the page on a new chapter! ♥️

As you are in the midst of personal challenges I just wanted to reinforce how much I, and I imagine, so many other people around the world enjoy your blog and weekly roundup. Your roundup has introduced me to do many other book lovers sites that I would never have found otherwise. Your round up is read and appreciated all over the world. I do hope all goes well for you and yours.
Many thanks from the Antipodes.

Oh that is *excellent* news about your partner! I am so happy for you both 🙂 It might be worth looking into something like the course I was able to do at the charity, Maggie’s, if it’s feasible: it was called ‘Where Now?’ and acknowledges that the next bit can in many ways feel harder, even after such good news. I hope it’s not needed, of course, but nothing ‘wrong’ if the next part isn’t as easy emotionally as you’d hope. Wishing you nothing but good things xx

Thank you, Calypte. You’re absolutely right in the sense that amid all the joy and relief, there’s a great emotional fatigue. It’s quite difficult to simply ‘return to normal’ after living on tenterhooks for a sustained period, so I can see why an organization like Maggie’s exists. It’s so thoughtful of you to pass on this information – your good wishes are very much appreciated. 🤗 xx

Such good news, such a relief! And another great line-up, Paula, from Cowell, Clift and Curie to a book ripper. I saw some funny things in my library days but never pages ripped in half horizontally. Someone with a papier mâché fetish?

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